A variety of methods and machines are presently available for shaping metal into three-dimensional parts. Recently, the popularity of such metal shaping methods and machines has been increased due to the number of television programs dealing with custom metal shaping in the context of motorcycle and automobile customization. As such, a new generation of potential customizers and users has been introduced to the art and skill of metalworking.
Prior to the development of power machinery, metal forming and customization was accomplished through hand forming. Eventually, the development of controlled, powered machinery such as, for example, power hammers and forming machines available from companies such as Pullmax of Sweden and Eckold of St. Andreasberg, Germany, as well as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,002 to Eckhold et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,183 to Lehtinen and U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,515 to Kuhne, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in their entirety, provided metal workers with increased forming capabilities while decreasing production times.
Unfortunately, using presently available power hammers and formers can subject users to a number of inherent disadvantages. Generally, presently available power hammers and formers are expensive and may cost on the order of tens of thousands of dollars putting them out of reach of all but the largest metalworking operators. Presently, available power hammers and formers tend to be bulky and occupy large footprints making them unsuitable for small-scale operations. In addition, presently available power hammers and formers can require precise, custom machined die sets, which may be unusable with other machinery, in order to provide proper operational clearance. Finally, presently available power hammers and formers can be operated by linkage drives that have the capacity to literally destroy the machines if proper die set-ups and clearances are not maintained.